Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Think MINI.

If you haven’t heard already—the rumors are true. No, I have not rejected my solid Bimmer upbringing, but yes, I have moved onward and upward from my beloved M Coupe. Heresy you say? Well, for one thing I of course still have the 2002. And for another I’ve stayed in the Bimmer camp and am now driving a new MINI.

To be more specific, yes, it is a Cooper S—a brand new, supercharged 2006. And I have to say, in all honesty, I feel like I’ve definitely traded up. Granted I don’t have the out and out 0-60 power of Coupe’s 3.2 litre classic Bimmer straight six, however I’ve got what definitely feels like way better handling. I’ve got a totally smoother, quieter ride (while maintaining a fantastic little engine growl). 90 feels like 50. And most importantly I’ve had the car for nearly two weeks and I’m still sitting at more than half a tank!

So here’s a quick rundown of the options. Metallic grey paint with a white top. 17-inch two piece alloys. Xenon headlights and fogs. Sport and cold weather packages. White bonnet stripes. Two-tone cloth upholstery, which I dig. Chrome grill and side view mirrors, which are totally growing me. And a goofy cup holder, which I hated at first, but now love since I discovered it holds up a cell phone perfectly! (Thanks for the heads up Justin.)

So bottom line, better handling, way better gas mileage (duh) and zero loss of performance—in fact, I’m gonna say I’ve got a better performing car now than the Coupe. The MINI Cooper S is DEFINITELY a great driving enthusiast’s car. I’m not even joking when I say I’ve actually thought that I might get another MINI for my next car one day! Can you say vader-mini?